Who is the greatest center fielder in the history of baseball?

Answer 1

No doubt it's Willie Mays, followed by Ty Cobb.

1. Willie Mays


Batting Titles: 1 (7 top five NL finishes)

Slugging Percentage Titles: 5 (14 top five NL finishes)

On-Base Average Titles: 2 (10 top five NL finishes)



To hit 660 home runs is extraordinary; if Mays hadn't missed slightly more than a year and a half to military service, he would quite likely have broken Babe Ruth's record before Hank Aaron did. He is 1st all-time in outfield putouts, 3rd in total bases and home runs, 4th in extra base hits, 6th in runs scored and 8th in RBIs.

To accumulate such audacious offensive numbers while playing many of his best years in the 1960s, when offense dropped precipitously, is simply not to be believed. In the decade of the '60s, only five times did a team score 20 runs in a game; in 1999 alone, it happened nine times. Between 1963 and 1969, the NL ERA averaged about 3.50 - in the latter half of the 1990s, it has been around 4.25.

As a hitter, Mays definitely rates as one of the best of all-time, leading the league in slugging 5 times, home runs 4 times, and maintaining a lifetime slugging average of .557, which compares favorably to Stan Musial (.557), Hank Aaron (.555), Mickey Mantle (.557) and even Joe DiMaggio (.579). His relative production (OBA+SLG, controlled for park factor and league average) is a solid 157, putting him in line with Stan Musial (157), Hank Greenberg (157) and Jimmie Foxx (161). According to Total Baseball, he led the league in batting runs 6 times and relative total production 5 times; according to Stats, Inc. he led the NL in runs created and in RC/9 innings 5 times each. He was also one of the game's great baserunners, leading the league in steals on 4 separate occasions.

But where he really outdistances his peers is on defense. The best defensive center fielder ever, he should be revered for his contributions with his glove - he led the league three times in range factor (plays per game), and once in throwing assists. The Gold Glove Award didn't come along until 1957, Willie Mays' sixth season. Nevertheless, he won 12 of the awards, more than any other outfielder. Everyone remembers the catch Mays made in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, the catch that robbed Vic Wertz of an extra-base hit in deep center field of the Polo Grounds; but his bare-handed grabs and frequent running catches were much more spectacular.
According to Total Baseball, he is fourth all-time among outfielders in Fielding Runs, so it's no wonder that this five-tool player had the highest Total Player Rating on 9 separate occasions. Only Babe Ruth can top that.

Answer 2

Without a doubt, Willie Mays. He had the five tools which are: 1) hitting for average, 2) hitting for power, 3) running speed, 4) arm strength and 5) fielding ability. Thus, he is the best one to ever played that position in baseball.

Answer 3

That Andruw Jones answer was funny. I think its about a consensus that Willie Mays is the greatest center fielder of all time.

Answer 4

Not that the Say Hey kid wasn't a 5 tool player, and one of the greatest ever, but I'd like to make a case for Cobb, simply based on the fact we know he was at least a 4 tool player, and the greatest at hitting for average ever (only a handful of people can hit in a season what he hit for his career), and had he not played under a dead ball era, it is at least conceivable that he could have been a power hitter given the chance. I think it is quite possible considering the fact that he was so good at every other aspect of the sport, so given the advantages other players had, he probably would have been able to show power. To put this in perspective, he had 117 HR in the deadball era. But rank the all time RBI leaders, and it's a who's who of great power hitters, including 3 guys w/ 700+ HRs. Also in there is Cap Anson, another deadballer, who had 97 HR. Granted, RBI's aren't a sign of power by nature, but when you compare him to the other leaders, you see power hitters have those kind of HR, so it is at least possible to think that had he played in the live ball era, he too would have translated into one of those power hitters. Now, rank triples, and it's basically a who's who list of dead ballers. Triples nowadays are basically a measurement of speed, and they were then as well, but playing w/ a dead ball and cavernous outfields of the day, triples were at least in part a way to see that the guy could hit that heavy ball far.

They are both great players, and they also both shared a 6th tool as well, in that they played all out all the time (Mays admits to showboating a bit to add to his flair, but he was still hustling all out).

Answer 5

Willie Mays. He wasn't just a great center fielder he was great student of the game as well. He could read and decode signals of opposing teams.

Answer 6

Speaker, Cobb, Mays, Mantle, Griffey -- there's a small but select population at this position. Consider that Snider doesn't even rate in the top five.

I'd go with Mays on the basis that he provided everything -- hitting, hitting for power, defense, speed -- but any one of these men merits the title.

Answer 7

Willier Mays and Joe Dimaggio are probably the best to play the position.

Answer 8

Willie Mays and Ken Giffey Jr.

Answer 9

By a landslide, Say hey Willie Mays.

Answer 10

Willie Mays. He could do it all: hit, hit for power, field, run and throw. Willie is still considered the measuring stick for all centerfielders coming up.